A Vacation From Kuwait... The TR!

[Dsnygrl1205]

Hello Dis friends! I am back from my trip and already back in Kuwait... R & R went by so fast! 15 days is not a sufficient amount of time home when your away for a whole year! It feels like I never left this lousy place! Oh well. More than halfway done with this mobilization now anyway.
My pictures are uploading to photobucket right now so I'll get this started soon. For any of you new comers there is a link to my PTR in my signature. Feel free to follow along and post as you see fit!

 

[DisMomAmy]

Hi Cara! Sorry to hear you're back in Kuwait but I hope you had a good trip. I can't wait to hear all about it! I should have Photopass pictures for you within the next day or two.

 

[Dsnygrl1205]

I wanted to get a quick post in before work this morning (it's now just past 4 am now) because I can't get on to Photobucket from a government computer. I don't have much time so this will be a short one.
If you recall from my PTR my mother had arrived a day before me, DS and DN so we knew before we arrived that we had received a room upgrade! And that's exactly why I will never pay for a Savannah View room! We ended up at the end of Kudu Trail with a great view! I had heard that the walk to these rooms was super long so I was a little concerned but it's not that bad at all. We were in 4394 and this was our View.

Beautiful, right? We didn't spend any time unpacking or even change our clothes. It was a bit chilly so we just kept our jeans and sweatshirts on. We had to get to the Wide World of Sports complex so I could get my race packet. There are no buses available from the resorts so instead of taking one to HS then to WWoS we hopped in a taxi. I think the fare ended up being about $20 with tip. I had never been to the WWoS and was expecting to have to go inside for the packet pick up but they had it set up outside on the lawn and the lines were crazy and not moving! It took me an hour to get to the front and after standing there cold and getting rained on they didn't even have my name on the list! It all ended up working out but It was frustrating!
I also ran into Whitney, 20thingamabobs, we said a quick hello but I was already in a mood and she was a bit flustered because after she stood in that ridiculous line they forgot to put her race number in her bag so she had to come back for it. Neither of us thought to get a picture so not an ideal DIS meet. Oh well. I think I introduced myself as Cara too and not my alias from here so she may have been a tad confused on where she knew me from. The whole packet pick up for this race was so disorganized. Hopefully for my next Disney race it will go a bit smoother.

That's all I have time for now. Have to go get some breakfast and go to work.

 

[Queenofallthings]

Hey girl...I'm here!!! Can't wait to hear all about it!!! Glad you're back safe and sound!!!

 

[Dsnygrl1205]

Hi Cara! Sorry to hear you're back in Kuwait but I hope you had a good trip. I can't wait to hear all about it! I should have Photopass pictures for you within the next day or two.

Thanks, Amy! Will you be able to email the pictures to me? Or do you have to send the disk? I'm not sure how it all will work. We didn't get too many. I am the worst about stopping for photos. Every trip I swear to myself that I'll get better but it never happens!

 

[Dsnygrl1205]

Hey girl...I'm here!!! Can't wait to hear all about it!!! Glad you're back safe and sound!!!

Hey!! I have so much catching up to do here! Being home really made me miss it so much more and the time flew by. I can't wait for this to be over and get home for good! Hopefully the time here will keep going by quickly!

I did a pretty good job getting pictures of food this time! You'll be so proud of me! I only missed a few things..

 

[20thingamabobs]

I'm here! I can't wait to hear all about your trip! I really am sorry about seeming so confused when you introduced yourself !I didn't know your name was Cara, but it only took me a minute to recognize you but by that point, I was a little flustered after standing in the cold rain for an hour then getting in the car and starting to leave before realizing my bib was missing and having to go back... I wish the meet would have been a little less confusing so we could have got a pic.. we'll have to have a redo for the Wine & Dine half marathon weekend! I'm hoping check-in there goes more like it did during Marathon weekend than it did for the 5k...

 

[Dsnygrl1205]

I'm here! I can't wait to hear all about your trip! I really am sorry about seeming so confused when you introduced yourself !I didn't know your name was Cara, but it only took me a minute to recognize you but by that point, I was a little flustered after standing in the cold rain for an hour then getting in the car and starting to leave before realizing my bib was missing and having to go back... I wish the meet would have been a little less confusing so we could have got a pic.. we'll have to have a redo for the Wine & Dine half marathon weekend! I'm hoping check-in there goes more like it did during Marathon weekend than it did for the 5k...

I didn't realize until after that you most likely didn't know my real name and I was in a bad mood after standing in the rain for an hour to get my stuff to find out they didn't have me listed and I could have gone right to the person to solve those types of problems and had my stuff in a matter of a few minutes They actually had my race number on the board as 252 but it was actually 242 so that's where the confusion was.

Looking forward to a much better experience at the Wine and Dine!

 

[Dsnygrl1205]

When I left off I had finally gotten a hold of my race stuff and needed to get to Epcot to meet up with DM and DN since I had sent them away instead of needlessly waiting around for me. DS insisted on waiting with me which I felt terrible about but was also grateful that I had him there to keep me company. It was nice to spend some time together just the two of us anyway and it was the last time we would separate ourselves for some QT. I have been a single mother since he was 18 months so we are very close. He even held my hand quite a bit while we were walking around. I think he would do it with out thinking and then a few minutes later realize that he's "too old" for it so would let go and that's fine with me just the idea that it's still second nature to him to grab my hand while we're walking together is good enough for me.
We were planning on taking another cab to the park but couldn't find one so we got in line for a HS bus and waited.. and waited.. and waited.. Finally after 30 minutes a bus came and delivered us to HS. From there we jumped a bus to Epcot and met up with the others in Mouse Gear. By now it was almost 8:00 so we headed over to WS to get a spot for Illuminations. Everyone was starving by this time but we had a 9:20 ADR at Teppan Edo so after we staked out a spot fir the show I went in search of snacks for all of us. The lines everywhere were so long and we ended up going to Kringla Bakeri in Norway. I got 2 cloudberry horns and a cinnamon bun. The case was almost empty so not much to choose from. I had never had the Cloudberry Horn but it was delicious! Sorry no pictures of our snacks. We were too hungry to wait!
Illuminations was great as usual. After the show we made our way to Japan for dinner. It was packed in the waiting area but we were called only a few minutes after arriving. I love Japanese Hibachi but the seating arrangements at places like this leave a lot to be desired. The last time we ate here we sat with some very nice people this time not so much. The Dad in this group was so rude and obnoxious! I was embarrassed for his family. I tried not to let it bother me too much though.
I think the boys ordered the shrimp and steak, I had the swordfish and DM had scallops and chicken.

I thought I had gotten better pictures of this meal but looks like I was mistaken! The food was good, typical of this type of place but we enjoyed it. I had never noticed swordfish on the menu and I really enjoyed it here.
Once we were finished eating we were planning on sticking around for the EMHs but it was raining so we just went back to the resort. We were pretty beat from anyway so it was definitely a good thing.

Up next: ESPN the Weekend 5K and our HS day!

 

[Queenofallthings]

When you were writing about him holding your hand it brought a tear to my eye....Jasmine and I have always been on our own, just the two of us, and I get the closeness you talk about! There is nothing like it

One of our ADR's is Teppen Edo and I wanted to try the swordfish...only because I never have....now I'm excited!!!

 

[Dsnygrl1205]

When you were writing about him holding your hand it brought a tear to my eye....Jasmine and I have always been on our own, just the two of us, and I get the closeness you talk about! There is nothing like it

One of our ADR's is Teppen Edo and I wanted to try the swordfish...only because I never have....now I'm excited!!!

I love swordfish and it did not disappoint at Teppan Edo. I found the picture I took of my plate too!

Looking at the picture is making me hungry!! The food here at Camp Arifjan stinks!

Being a single parent was hard for sure but I think going through it together forms a certain bond... Ya know? Not to say that families with a Mom and Dad aren't as close but it is different. It's tough to put into words...

 

[Dsnygrl1205]

I don't have time for a full update right now but I was looking through my pictures on photobucket and came across this one.

It's one of my favorites from our trip last April. He's comforting me because it's our last day. We were leaving to get our ME bus back to the airport.

This is a similar picture taken a couple weeks ago.

He's my height now (maybe even a smidge taller)! I can't decide if we look like two kids walking together or two adults. Either way he's not my little guy anymore.

And here's one from his first trip in 2002 just because It's cute and I feel like reminiscing a little.. *sinff

He's the one driving, not sitting on the hood!

 

[DisMomAmy]

We love Teppan Edo!!

Cute flashback picture of your DS. He's a little bigger now.

So your fiance didn't go to Disney with you? For some reason I thought he was going along... I know you moved your dates because of his leave... was that just to spend time with him in NH before you went to Disney?

 

[dismagiclover]

I'm a little late, but I'm here now It sounds like packet pick up was crazy! I wonder why they do it outside I love all the flashback pictures of you and your DS. I'm not a single parent, but I understand what you're saying about the bond that you have, especially if you only have one child. Of course I'm bonded to my kids, but they are also bonded with DH and with each other. I'm sure that single parent/child bond is different because at times it really does feel like just the 2 of you against the world. My kids also know if they don't like my answer they can try to get to DH before I do and maybe they will get a different one. I can't wait to hear about the 5K. I hope it went well.

 

[Dsnygrl1205]

Just wanted to share with you all the fun little sandstorm we had here yesterday afternoon!

Click here!REALLY BAD SANDSTORM


It only lasted a few hours but the sand has covered everything here including all of our stuff inside our barracks!

 

[Dsnygrl1205]

We love Teppan Edo!!

Cute flashback picture of your DS. He's a little bigger now.

So your fiance didn't go to Disney with you? For some reason I thought he was going along... I know you moved your dates because of his leave... was that just to spend time with him in NH before you went to Disney?

Scott couldn't go with us unfortunately. He has 4 kids so he won't fly due to the cost and they didn't have enough time to drive down and back by the time he had to head back to Kuwait. We got 5 days together though before we left for Florida so that was nice. I definitely miss him more now though after having that time together. We're a little more than halfway through this mobilization now though! Hopefully it will continue to go by quickly!

 

[Dsnygrl1205]

I'm a little late, but I'm here now It sounds like packet pick up was crazy! I wonder why they do it outside I love all the flashback pictures of you and your DS. I'm not a single parent, but I understand what you're saying about the bond that you have, especially if you only have one child. Of course I'm bonded to my kids, but they are also bonded with DH and with each other. I'm sure that single parent/child bond is different because at times it really does feel like just the 2 of you against the world. My kids also know if they don't like my answer they can try to get to DH before I do and maybe they will get a different one. I can't wait to hear about the 5K. I hope it went well.

I was floored at how disorganized the packet pick up went! The fact that it rained on all of us for 30 minutes didn't help the situation either. Hopefully they will have ironed out some of the kinks by next year because it really was a fun race. Nice and short and relaxing. I really enjoy 5Ks.

 

[Dsnygrl1205]

I left off with going to bed Friday night after a delicious dinner at Teppan Edo. It was probably around 11:30 by the time I actually tried to get to sleep but sharing a bed with DS and the fact that my brain hadn't quite adjusted to the time change yet kept me from getting any. When my alarm went off at 5:30 to get up for the race I had only slept about an hour. I laid in bed for 10 minutes debating whether or not I wanted to suck it up and go or just blow it off but after standing in that ridiculous line in the rain I had to go. Once I was up and moving I felt a bit better. I didn't wake DS or DN but My DM got up when I turned the light on. I had told her to just stay in bed and headed downstairs to catch a cab to HS. A cast member from the front desk saw me in the lobby with my race number on and ended up giving me a voucher for the cab ride! I was fully prepared to pay and thought that was so nice. It's one of those moments that reminds me of why I love vacationing at WDW. That was above and beyond what is necessary. As I stood waiting for the cab to arrive my dear sweet DM came running out the lobby doors to come watch me run! She got this shot of me getting into the cab.

And waiting in line for a port a pottie

It was surprisingly a warm morning which was a pleasant surprise. I was worried about freezing my butt off because I didn't want to bring a jacket and end up carrying it while I ran.

Picture of the crowd waiting to start.

I took a bunch of video during the race but haven't uploaded them yet so I will get those up here in a separate post.
The race started a bit late because of a delayed bus from one of the host resorts. I chatted with some nice people while we waited. They finally started the countdown at about 20 minutes past 7:00. I put myself in the 9 to 11 minute group since I hadn't been running too much since my injuries in January so it took me a few minutes to pass the start line.
The first part of the race takes you out and back on a pretty boring stretch of road outside the park. The first mile is just before you enter backstage behind Lights, Motor, Action! There were cast members cheering us on here and some music playing. We ran through the Lights Motors Action stage then through the Backlot tour including the costuming tunnel which was cool until close to the end of it when it was so dark I couldn't see the ground. It only lasted a minute or so though.
Once we came out of the tunnel we ran by the parked Trams for the ride then took a left onto the Streets of America. I can't remember exactly where we went from there but we ran by the Miss Piggy fountain then past Star Tours. We came out to the center of the park between American Idol and the Indiana Jones Stunt Show then around Echo Lake and behind the hat before we headed up Hollywood Boulevard then took the left onto Sunset towards ToT. One of the photographers got this shot of me right before that turn.

ESPN The weekend Champion 5K

This is the only shot they got of me that I don't look stupid in but I will post a few more.

We ran up Sunset then took a left at RnRC then backstage again behind ToT. We came back out onto sunset by way of the Amphitheater entrance then took a left again back onto Hollywood toward the entrance where people were already lined up to enter the park for the day. A right hand turn took us backstage again then back to where we started to the finish line! My DM got this shot of me crossing.

The finishers medal for this race is a lot nicer than I thought it would be for a 5K. I had heard they were rubber or something like that so I was surprised to be given this.

This picture is awful and I guess you can't see how shiny and nice the medal is. I grabbed a banana and a water then found my DM and headed for the bus stop. We jumped on a bus to AK then another over to the Lodge.

Up next: Hollywood Studios and Lunch at Sci Fi Dine In.

 

[DisMomAmy]

Congratulations on finishing the race! So you felt OK during the run?

I'm always impressed that people can run races at WDW - THEN go on to tour the parks after!

 

[dismagiclover]

Wow that is a nice medal for a 5K. I guess they need to give you something for those pricy race fees Sounds like a great race!